PhD Studentship: Biomechanical studies for upper limb rehabilitations

Engineering Mats & Surface Engineerg Gp

Location: Highfield Campus

Closing Date:  Saturday 13 January 2018

Reference: 826117BX

Project  Reference: EngSci-MATS-144

The capability to use the upper limbs is crucial in completing basic activities of daily living and thus enable active, independence and high quality of lives. Upper limb rehabilitation and treatment are often applied to a range of patients who suffer from complications following e.g. stroke, arthritis, spinal cord injury, congenital deformity or elderly patients who are physically weak. However, musculoskeletal behavior of upper limbs is complex and involves coordinated movement of arms, hand and fingers as well as muscle contraction. In-depth understanding of upper limb functions is important to enable development of effective rehabilitation strategies. Investigation on upper limb biomechanics is largely dependent on the kinematic and kinetic monitoring of the limbs when performing functional activities.

This multidisciplinary project aims to study arm and hand functions based on real time detection of limb movements and the mechanical load at the hand/object interface. This project will be able to benefit from unique interface sensor technologies as well as the 3D motion capturing facility available at the University of Southampton. The PhD student will be supervised by academics and work as part of the collaborative teams with cross disciplinary expertise. Applicants with background in the fields of biomedical engineering, or mechatronics are potentially suitable. Additional experience in 3D motion capture would be advantageous but not essential. Successful applicants should hold degrees equivalent to UK 2:1 or 1st class honours.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Prof. Liudi Jiang, Engineering Materials Research group, Email: L.Jiang@soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 2380 59 8748.